DEUS, THE NEO-MACHINA
"Not all gods are immortal.”
The Great Scourge that occurred nearly a millennium ago divided humankind into factions.
Earth, their planet of origin, was deserted by its inhabitants. Left barren, lifeless, and cultureless by their savage and gluttonous technology. Like Noah, a prophet from their ancient tales, they gathered only what they deemed worthy or edible, and set sail in their starships toward distant solar systems.
Seven planets, seven stars, and seven alliances.
Some landed where the soil welcomed them with open arms, offering an abundance of delicacies and a breathable atmosphere in which to thrive. Others, however, had to make do with not-so-pleasing environmental conditions: deserts where giant cacti were the only water source, swamps of acidic springs teeming with venomous beasts and poisonous flora, or colossal icebergs drifting aimlessly through starless voids.
The alliance that rebranded itself as the Parthenon’s Children centuries before the Great Collapse arrived at a planet where valuable gems and minerals popped out of the ground like weeds, yet riches alone could not make up for the limited food and water sources. To survive, they built nearly indestructible machines of mass destruction to invade the other six alliances.
Among them was a moon-sized starship that rained down thunder on vessels and planets alike. They named it Zeus: yet another relic of their long-lost history. Was the name’s original holder man, woman, or myth? They neither knew nor cared, for the title alone carried a sense of power and dominance.
Sweeping across the universe and conquering the new home planets of five other alliances failed to satiate the mighty mechanical beast’s thirst for blood and victory. In the end, its crackling, lightning-filled gaze fell upon the planet now known as The Great Yurt, where the peoples of the Steppes’ Nomads alliance toiled to forge a mechanical beast mighty enough to stand against Zeus.
The blueprints for their desired creation, Genghis Khan, were finalized, and its builders stood hearty and determined. Yet gathering enough resources to bring life to the machine would force them to confront a path most treacherous…